- 12 juni 2012
Hamas slams Egyptian accusations of involvement in Tahrir events
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement strongly denounced some Egyptian writers for accusing it and its armed brigades of inciting Egyptian men from the Sinai region to participate in the current events taking place in Attahrir square of Cairo.
In a press release on Tuesday, Hamas emphasized that it does not intervene in any way in the internal affairs of any Arab or non-Arab countries and its policy in this regard is well known to all.
It also expressed its rejection of implicating its name in any political conflicts and electoral wrangling and highlighted that its only battlefield is on the land of Palestine.
"We hope that our brothers in Egypt from different orientations will not make Hamas a scapegoat in their election battle which some use it in an attempt to erase the truth about the blood of the Egyptian martyrs," Hamas underscored.
http://fwd4.me/12yz 18 jun 2012, 12:02 , Respect -
Maria 18 juni 2012
Abu Zuhri: Results of Egyptian presidential race victory for revolution
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, congratulated the Egyptian people over the victory of presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi.
Abu Zuhri told the PIC on Monday that results of the presidential race in Egypt constituted a victory for the Egyptian revolution and for its martyrs.
He congratulated the Freedom and Justice party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, for the victory of its nominee.
The spokesman hoped that the result would lead to breaking the siege on Gaza and supporting Palestinian national issues topped by Jerusalem.
http://fwd4.me/13Qg
Mohamed Morsi wins election against his rival
EGYPT, (PIC)-- The Muslim Brotherhood's freedom and justice party announced on Monday that its president Mohamed Morsi won the first presidential election in Egypt after the January 25 revolution.
A spokesman for Morsi's election campaign said after counting the votes in about 97 percent of the total polling places, it became clear that Morsi received about 13 million votes while 12 million votes went for his rival Ahmed Shafiq.
The Brotherhood's early partial counts proved generally accurate in last month's first round vote.
In his first speech after this announcement, Morsi expressed his thanks to all Egyptians, especially the revolutionary young men, and promised to work for a better future for them and to advocate the principles of freedom, democracy and peace.
He vowed to all Egyptians, men, women, mothers, sisters, political factions, Muslims, and Christians to be a servant for them. "We are not to take revenge or settle scores. We are all brothers of this nation, we own it together, and we are equal in rights and duties."
He also pledged to help the families of Egyptian martyrs of the revolution obtain their rights through legal channels.
http://fwd4.me/13Qf 25 jun 2012, 10:40 , Respect -
Maria 24 juni 2012
The Egyptian electoral commission announced Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi as the country's new president.
After days of delay, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) has announced the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi as the winner of the county’s presidential runoff.
On Sunday, head of the SPEC Farouq Sultan said that Morsi has received nearly 52 percent of the votes, with over 13 million ballots.
This is while, former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq won over 12 million votes. The voter turnout was 51.85 percent.
Sultan also added that the number of ballots exceeded the number of registered voters which added complications to the vote-counting process.
The election commission says a majority of the appeals by the two candidates have been rejected after discussion.
Tens of thousands of Egyptians have gathered in Cairo and across the country to celebrate the victory of Morsi, chanting slogans such as “God is greatest” and “down with the military rule.”
Also in the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinians have taken to the streets in celebration.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has deployed extra security forces in the capital in case of possible unrest following the announcement of the results, warning against any violations of the law.
Morsi is the country’s first freely elected president since the ouster of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak last year.
Egyptians cast their ballots in a two-day presidential runoff election on June 16 and 17.
Prior to the announcement, both candidates claimed victory with the Muslim Brotherhood announcing that its candidate Mohamed Morsi has won.
However, Shafiq’s campaign said the claim was false, and that more than half of the voters had chosen Mubarak's right-hand man as the next president.
Under a constitutional declaration issued last week, the country’s junta has taken control of the state budget and given itself veto power on a new constitution, making the new president almost powerless. It has also dissolved the parliament dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.
http://fwd4.me/1433 25 jun 2012, 10:42 , Respect -
Maria 25 juni 2012
Egypt's Mursi says wants to expand Iran ties
Mohamed Morsi Egypt's new president
DUBAI (Reuters) -- Egypt's Islamist President-elect Muhammad Mursi said in an interview with Iran's Fars news agency published on Monday that he wanted to expand ties with Tehran to create a strategic "balance" in the region.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been severed for more than 30 years, but both sides have signaled a shift in policy since former president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year in a popular uprising.
Fars quoted Mursi as saying better relations with Tehran "will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my program."
Mursi's comments may unsettle Western powers as they seek to isolate Iran over its disputed nuclear program, which they suspect Tehran is using to build atomic bombs. They cautiously welcomed the democratic process that led to Mursi's election, but made clear Egypt's stability was their main priority.
Fars said he was speaking a few hours before the result of the Egyptian election was announced on Sunday, and that a full version of the interview would be published later.
Asked to comment on reports that, if elected, his first state visit would be to Iran's regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia, Mursi said: "I didn't say such a thing and until now my first international visits following my victory in the elections have not been determined."
Mursi's victory over former general Ahmed Shafiq in Egypt's first free presidential election was subsequently hailed by Iran as a "splendid vision of democracy" that marked the final phase of an "Islamic Awakening".
Mainly Sunni Muslim Egypt and predominantly Shiite Iran are among the biggest and most influential countries in the Middle East, but they have had no formal ties since 1980, following Iran's Islamic Revolution and Egypt's recognition of Israel.
Egypt's foreign minister said last year that Cairo was ready to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, which has championed most Arab Spring uprisings as anti-Western rebellions inspired by its own Islamic Revolution in 1979.
But it has steadfastly supported Syrian President Bashar Assad, Tehran's closest Arab ally, who is grappling with a revolt against his rule, and at home it has continued to nullify demands for reform, which spilled into the street following the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=498467 6 jul 2012, 15:33 , Respect -
Maria 26 juni 2012
Egyptians against any ties with Israeli regime: Analyst
Most Egyptians are against relations between Egypt and the Israeli regime and demand an end to the Camp David Accords signed by Tel Aviv and Cairo in 1979, a political analyst tells Press TV.
"Most of the Egyptians are against any relationship with Israel and they think Israel” is an occupying regime, Kamel Wazni told Press TV on Monday.
He made the statement after Egypt's Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) announced the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi had won the county's presidential runoff on Sunday.
People in Egypt "want the Palestinians to have their legitimate right to have their land and I think the Islamic Brotherhood, if they want to be legitimate, have to honor the wish of the Egyptian people," Wazni said.
Pressure from public opinion is rising on the new Egyptian president to reconsider the 'peace deal' with the Israeli regime and revoke the Camp David Accords.
"I do not know how long they will honor the Camp David agreement, maybe that would probably be in the first period of time but in the long run, if they continue to honor that, they will lose their credibility as real Islamic Brotherhood," the analyst said.
The victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate has stirred concerns in the Israeli regime with media and officials warning of a difficult and vague future for Tel Aviv-Cairo ties.
Israeli officials fear that Morsi's victory could bring an end to Egypt's peace treaty with Israel as well as bilateral economic and security agreements, which are of vital importance to Tel Aviv.
The Israeli media have described Morsi's victory as a 'dangerous development' for Tel Aviv.
Morsi picked up 13.2 million votes out of just over 26 million, garnering 51.7 percent of the vote.
His competitor, Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak, received 12.3 million votes (48.3 percent).
http://fwd4.me/14BK 6 jul 2012, 17:27 , Respect -
Maria 28 juni 2012
Egypt ex-minister sentenced to 15 years over Israel gas deal
Former Egyptian oil minister Sameh Fahmi has been jailed for selling Israel natural gas below market value.
An Egyptian court has sentenced the country’s former oil minister and a fugitive businessman to 15 years in prison each over selling natural gas to Israel at below-market rates.
The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced former oil minister, Sameh Fahmi, and fugitive businessman, Hussein Salem, to 15 years in prison each over the (Israel) gas deal," a judicial source said on Thursday, AFP reported.
According to the source, five other former high-ranking oil and gas officials also received jail sentences ranging from three to 10 years on similar charges.
Salem, who fled to Spain after Egypt’s popular revolution in February 2011 that toppled his close friend and the country’s then dictator, Hosni Mubarak, was also sentenced in absentia in October 2011 to seven years in jail for profiteering.
Gas exports to Israel were launched in 2008 and came under heavy criticism at the time from Egypt's then banned Muslim Brotherhood.
In December 2010, Israel signed a 20-year contract with Egypt worth more than $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) -- much cheaper than global prices -- to import Egyptian natural gas.
Egypt accounts for roughly 40 percent of Israel's gas supplies.
http://fwd4.me/16JR
12 jul 2012, 11:19 , Respect -
Maria 6 juli 2012
Clinton Will Meet Mursi, Visit Israel This Month
The US Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, 5th July, that the Foreign Minister, Hillary Clinton, will visit Egypt this month to negotiate with the new Egyptian president Mohammad Mursi, and then she will head to Israel to seek efforts of the peace process in the Middle East.
This meeting will be held after the Marathon event, which will start in Paris on Friday, 6th July, and she will also meet the friends of Syria group that includes foreign and Arab countries.
Clinton will also meet the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in France, and will end her tours in Israel in 16-17 July.
http://fwd4.me/14tJ
15 jul 2012, 12:49 , Respect -
Maria 12 juli 2012
Israeli regime to deploy battery of Iron Dome missile system near Egypt
The Israeli regime will deploy a battery of its US-funded Iron Dome missile system in an area near the southern city of Eilat close to the Egyptian border.
The military officials of the Israeli regime said on Wednesday that Tel Aviv would deploy a battery of Iron Dome rocket interceptors in the area.
Israeli media said it was the first time the battery was being deployed near Eilat.
An Israeli military spokesperson said the battery “will be placed near Eilat as part of an operational deployment program which includes changing the locations of the batteries from time to time.”
Iron Dome is produced with the financial support of the United States.
In May, the US House of Representatives appropriated 947 million dollars for the Iron Dome, “David's Sling,” and a long-range Arrow missile program in Israel.
The Tel Aviv regime is the top recipient of military aid from Washington.
Relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv have deteriorated since last year's revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak, a long-time and staunch ally of Israel.
http://fwd4.me/15J7
16 jul 2012, 09:47 , Respect -
Maria 15 juli 2012
Clinton meets Egypt's new president
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY0tlbL0hnw
'Egypt military in league with US'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wse2Moa-lMA
Hundreds of Egyptian demonstrators have held a demonstration in Cairo to protest against the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Egyptian capital.
The protesters gathered outside the presidential palace on Saturday as Clinton sat down with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to discuss Egypt's transition to democracy and plans to provide economic assistance to the country.
The demonstrators said that they were opposed to the US efforts to control and potentially divide Egypt, voicing their opposition to a US attempt to force Egypt to appease Israel.
Egyptian soldiers and tanks were positioned outside the US embassy, which has been the scene of anti-US protests since the popular uprising that toppled Dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, an editor of the Pan-African News Wire, to further discuss the issue.
22 jul 2012, 10:45 , Respect -
Maria 16 juli 2012
Thousands Of Egyptians Throw Shoes And Tomatoes At Hillary Clinton Motorcade As She Leaves Egypt !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXH1MtIHLyw - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnEpc05GrM
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoHgGp0m-Us
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4FIGcgF1t0
Egypt’s new president signals there won’t be dramatic changes in Gaza policy
Egypt’s new president holds the key to blockaded Gaza, but he is signaling that he won’t rush to help the territory’s Hamas rulers by striking a border deal with them, even though they are fellow members of the region’s Muslim Brotherhood.
A bilateral border agreement between Egypt and Hamas could hurt chances of setting up a single Palestinian state, made up of the West Bank and Gaza, alongside Israel.
“I don’t think they (the Egyptians) are ready for that,” said Palestinian economist and business leader Samir Hulileh.
Hamas was jubilant over Morsi’s election in neighboring Egypt in June, hoping the Egyptian leader would lift years of travel and trade restrictions that have hit the Gaza economy hard.
But for now Morsi is keeping Hamas at arm’s length, focusing on his relationship with Egypt’s powerful military and with the U.S., which gives Egypt $1.3 billion in annual military aid.
In Gaza, Hamas officials say that once Morsi settles into his job, they expect him to transform the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, now open only to select passengers, into a vibrant cargo route with free trade zones.
Such a new lifeline could keep Hamas in power for years, reviving an economy battered by a border closure Israel and Morsi’s pro-Western predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, imposed after the violent Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007.
One senior Hamas official said Gaza now has the chance to become semi-independent by relying on close relations with Egypt and cutting the last ties to Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was expressing a personal view.
Israel might welcome closer ties between Egypt and Gaza, since this could further ease its responsibility toward the seaside territory. However, Israeli officials insisted there is no change in the current policy of isolating the territory and containing Hamas.
Israel, which withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after 38 years of occupation, still controls most of Gaza’s land border, including several crossings, and restricts access by air and sea.
Among those most affected by a separate Egypt-Gaza deal would be Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who was left with limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank after Hamas seized Gaza from him.
A strong trade bond with Egypt could break Gaza’s last tentative ties with the West Bank, further hurting Abbas’ efforts to establish a state in both of those territories, along with east Jerusalem.
“This is a very dangerous step,” Abbas aid Mohammed Ishtayeh, said of Hamas’ appeal to Egypt. “It would be the end of the two-state solution,” he said.
For Hamas, that might be of little concern. The Islamists view such a state at best as an interim step toward an Islamic entity in all of historic Palestine, the area between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River that includes Israel.
Morsi has signaled that there will be no radical changes anytime soon.
The Egyptian leader reiterated in a weekend meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that he would honor all of Egypt’s international obligations.
http://fwd4.me/15Y3
'Revolution in Egypt has created changes'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVEBHylzmKc
Egypt's military takes a tough line with the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the Armed Forces will not let the country to be dominated by just one group.
Interview with Mr. Yehia Ghanem, political analyst.
22 jul 2012, 11:23 , Respect -
Maria 17 juli 2012
Israel takes over 2 offshore Egyptian gas wells, geologist says
A natural gas drilling rig
Egyptian geologist Khaled Odeh says Israel has taken over two natural gas wells located in Egypt’s territorial waters.
Odeh said in Cairo on Monday that the wells are located in the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Cyprus, IRNA reported.
He added that Israel took advantage of Egyptian officials’ inaction and started drilling operations in the area in April 2012.
Odeh also stated that the wells are over gas fields containing about $100 billion worth of gas reserves.
One of the wells is 19 kilometers north of the Egyptian city of Damietta and 235 kilometers west of Haifa in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the other well is 114 kilometers north of Damietta and 237 kilometers from the shores of Palestine.
The issue of supplying gas to Israel has always been a contentious topic for Egyptians, who view Israel as an enemy and oppose engaging in any form of business with it.
According to a $2.5 billion export deal with Tel Aviv, signed in 2005, Israel receives around 40 percent of its gas supply from Egypt at an extremely low price.
Relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv have deteriorated since last year's revolution that overthrew former dictator Hosni Mubarak, a long-time and staunch ally of Israel.
http://fwd4.me/16JQ 22 jul 2012, 11:33 , Respect -
Maria 22 juli 2012
Egyptian gas pipeline in Sinai blasted for 15th time
CAIRO, (PIC)-- A powerful explosion ripped through the Egyptian pipeline in northern Sinai Peninsula, which carries gas supplies to Israel, for the 15th time.
No casualties were reported in the explosion that took place to the east of El-Arish city in northern Sinai at the early morning hours of Sunday.
Most Egyptians do not favor the gas deal signed between the former regime of Hosni Mubrak and Israel. Many Egyptians charged that Israel was not paying a fair price for the Egyptian gas.
The consortium of Egyptian petroleum companies, which had signed the deal with Israel, recently terminated the deal with Israel for failure of the latter to live up to its commitments.
http://fwd4.me/16JI
27 jul 2012, 00:22 , Respect -
Maria 24 juli 2012
New President of Egypt Ridiculed in Israeli Video
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wTvy_5TaSE
Israeli TV has lately screened one of a new series of ads, sponsored by The Temple Institute, which promote the so called “rebuilding of the temple mount.
The video titled ‘The Children are Ready’ is causing a lot of controversy amongst Egyptians, especially users of Twitter, facebook and YouTube who saw the video as an insult to their president.
The proposed location for this temple mount is very provocative, for it is the site occupied, since 705 CE, by the Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the holiest places for Muslims on earth.
Muslims believe that Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to al-Aqsa during a miraculous Night Journey. While Judaism regards the Temple Mount as the place where God chose the Divine Presence to rest. Both explanations are really cool.
Anyway, for this “temple mount” to be built, Al-Aqsa mosque has to be demolished. It is as simple as that.
And as a matter of fact, this dangerously ambitious plan is what the Israeli governments have in mind as the non-stop digging underneath the mosque has been going/eroding the foundation of the mosque in the name of archeological excavations for almost four decades now.
The Israeli archeologists know they won’t find/stumble upon any Hebrew relic, but they hope that, thru their ruthless digging under the mosque, they would contribute to the Zionist cause of undermining the Arab/Muslim identity of the old city of Jerusalem. All part of an undergoing plan for the judaization of Palestine
In the video, an Israeli family in a relaxing outing at the beach, only the father is not so relaxed.
While he is totally consumed with reading news of the Syrian unrest and the newly elected president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsy, his kids are having fun building what, on first glance, seemed to be as an ordinary sandcastle.
But upon completion of their work, the boy and the girl haven’t just built any castle. They built something very close to the design of the temple mount, the Israeli media have been promoting for ages now.
Enthusiastic and extremely thrilled by their accomplishment, the kids drag their reluctant father out of his chair and preoccupation with what is going on in Egypt and urge him to take a look at their sand model of the “temple mount”
Speechless and stunned by the kids’ vision clarity and powerful expression, his fears of an Islamist president of post-Mubarak Egypt suddenly seemed groundless and somehow childish.
And still in his dumbstruck mood, the paper slips through his fingers, and falls to the ground, in a slow motion shot, where it thoughtlessly sets close to his feet, highlighting the photo of Mohamed morsy, the new president of Egypt.
There are actually three messages in the video. The first one is simple and straightforward; the newly elected president of Egypt, whose affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and support for Hamas that have left a lot of Israelis worried lately, won’t hinder the Zionist dream of Judaizing Palestine.
The second message is somehow subdued and mainly addresses the western audience of Zionist Christians and Jews who are being brainwashed, since 9/11, with the idea that the Islamists are the new bogeyman/ enemy of the west and Israel.
The third one is to Embarrass the new president of Egypt, especially that Tel Aviv is fully conscious of the deep divide amongst the Egyptians themselves regarding Mr. Morsy and their doubts of his hidden MB agenda for the most important country in the Middle East.
But the buzz this video has created on the social web sites has clearly shown that while Egyptians, after toppling Mubarak, are willing to criticize whomever will occupy the presidential palace, they remain staunch in their rejection to any disrespectful remark that would touch the Egyptian presidency, especially if it was Israeli.
For more articles by Dr. Ashraf Ezzat visit his website
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/07/24/egyptian-president-ridiculed-in-israeli-video/ 4 aug 2012, 09:31 , Respect -
Maria 3 aug 2012
In Video: “Our Children Are Ready Too”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGY1O_Hgm4
On Wednesday 1st August, Israeli newspaper Maariv stated that Palestinians took revenge for the Egyptian president Mohammad Mursi, by making a video in response to the Israeli video which insulted Mursi.
The newspaper said in a report titled, "See the retaliatory Palestinian video from the Gaza Strip", that Palestinians from the Gaza Strip uploaded a video on YouTube responding to the Israeli video that promotes for the construction of the Jewish temple on the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Maariv revealed that the Israeli video had almost caused a diplomatic crisis between Cairo and Tel Aviv, while the Palestinian film was uploaded by Palestinians and is not considered an official response to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. Therefore, they hold full responsibility for the uploading of this video and that the Egyptian Foreign Minister is not responsible for it.
Maariv said that the Palestinian film had become famous and brought till now, around 185,545 hits on YouTube.
Maariv also revealed that the Israeli video shows two Israeli kids building the Jewish temple on the beach. They get the attention of their father who drops the newspaper that displays the picture of Mursi on the ground. That was considered an insult for president Mursi.
While the Palestinian video shows a similar scene of two Palestinian children building al-Aqsa mosque and making a three-dimensional map of Palestine on the beach. They then call their father who is seen to be writing "No God but Allah" on a piece of paper and places it as a flag on the top of Al-Aqsa mosque.
At the end of both videos, the Israeli video makes a provocative statement that says, "The Children are Ready". The Palestinian video responded by another provocative statement, "Our Children are Ready Too."
http://fwd4.me/176Q 6 aug 2012, 01:43 , Respect -
Maria 5 aug 2012
Gunmen kill 15 Egypt border guards near Israel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAMabp2gMH0
GUNMEN have killed 15 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing armoured vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.
President Mohamed Morsi has called an emergency meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces following the attack, the state broadcaster reported today.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 15 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen had hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they had killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that that incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
There were no Israeli civilians or soldiers wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians."
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai".
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it cited added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier today, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel has accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
http://www.news.com.au/world/gunmen-kill-15-egypt-border-guards-near-israel/story-fndir2ev-1226443649943
Gunmen kill 16 Egypt border guards, enter Israel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOZDH0QBDKc
Gunmen on Sunday killed 16 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing two armoured vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 16 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
President Mohamed Morsi called an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack, his spokesman Yasser Ali said.
Morsi, who only took the oath of office on June 30 to become the country's first freely elected leader and its first head of state since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year, said in a statement those behind the "cowardly" attack would pay it dearly.
"President Morsi says that this cowardly attack will not go without a response ... and that those who committed this crime will pay it dearly," said the statement, carried by the official MENA news agency.
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that the incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
No Israeli civilians or soldiers were wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians".
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai."
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier Sunday, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
The Sinai is home to Egypt's Red Sea resorts, a source of lucrative tourist income, and is also where the country's Bedouin, long marginalised under the regime of fallen strongman Mubarak, are based.
On July 19, gunmen believed to be Islamist militants shot dead two Egyptian soldiers in a dawn attack in north Sinai.
The attack came after Islamist militants distributed pamphlets calling on the army to leave the lawless north of the peninsula, where they had been brought in to restore security.
The attack was in Sheikh Zuwaid, a town roughly 15 kilometres (10 miles) west of the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip.
The military sent tanks and soldiers into the region last year to quell Islamist militants, after receiving permission from Israel. Under a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Egypt should have a limited military presence in the area.
http://fwd4.me/17AG
Egyptian police killed in attack on Israeli border
Unidentified gunmen have attacked a checkpoint on the Egyptian-Israeli border, killing at least 15 Egyptian policemen, officials say.
Israel said the heavily armed attackers, in two vehicles, then tried to smash their way across the border.
One vehicle apparently blew up at the North Sinai crossing, while the other was destroyed by the Israeli air force.
It is not clear who carried out the raid. Egyptian state television blamed Islamist militants.
The country's state news agency quoted a top security official who said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had infiltrated from the Gaza Strip.
Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak said his country's security forces had "thwarted an attack that could have injured many".
"The militants' attack methods again raise the need for determined Egyptian action to enforce security and prevent terror in the Sinai," he said in a statement.
Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi held an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack.
In a statement read on state media, he described it as cowardly and said those behind it would "pay for it dearly".
He urged the authorities to take measures to "confront this serious challenge to Egyptian sovereignty and to protect Sinai from all armed groups".
At least seven other Egyptian policemen were wounded in the attack, security officials said. It is unclear how many militants were involved or how many were killed.
Security fears
Egyptian and Israeli forces say they are searching for any other gunmen who may have escaped. Israeli civilians in the area have been told to stay inside their homes.
The Rafah border crossing with Israel has shut indefinitely, Egyptian state television says.
The attack on the border post close to the Gaza Strip and Israel took place around sunset, just as the guards had stopped work for the traditional iftar meal, which breaks the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Masked gunmen dressed as bedouin opened fire on police with guns and rocket-propelled grenades before driving off with an armoured vehicle, Egyptian state television said.
In Israel a military spokeswoman said two vehicles had been taken at its Kerem Shalom crossing.
The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says the attack will be seen as more worrying evidence that Islamist militants have a firm foothold in the restive Northern Sinai region.
They have been blamed for several rocket attacks against Israel and a cross-border raid that killed nine Israelis last year.
Recently there have also been repeated attacks on the pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan. Last month two Egyptian soldiers were shot dead.
Egypt's military sent extra tanks and troops into the Sinai last year. The terms had to be agreed with Israel under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, our correspondent says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19142882
Islamists Kill 15 Egyptians on Israeli Border
Islamists gunned down at least 15 Egyptian police officers and stole an army tank today in an attack on a Sinai police station close to the Israeli border, Reuters reports. Israeli aircraft responded by destroying a vehicle used by the attackers; another of their vehicles exploded at the North Sinai crossing, the BBC reports. It was the deadliest attack in the region in at least 20 years.
Israeli officials and Egyptian media blamed the attack on Islamist militants, a notion dismissed by Hamas in Gaza, AFP reports. The incident will likely force Israel and Egypt to engage diplomatically at a delicate time, when Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist, has just taken power. It could also strain Egypt's relations with Hamas if Palestinian gunmen are held responsible for the attack.
http://fwd4.me/17AE